Closer Look
by cakeengland
Summary: A closer look into the lives of the characters. Part of a one hundred themes challenge.
1. Ancient

_A/N: Just a short drabble. It's part of a one-hundred themes collection, specifically tailored for Baten Kaitos that I made myself. If you want the themes, just send me a PM._

* * *

A thousand years… it's really not that long, in retrospect. It's only what occurs during that time span that makes it seem that way. Sagi knows this well.

The heart that beats in his chest is no older than fifteen, yet it is ancient. It has felt the pain and sorrows to make it so.

Yet Sagi dares not lay claim to that ancient heart, for it is not his. It is Marno's and only Marno's, the Sibling God that felt it all firsthand, whatever the circumstances might say to the contrary.

Yet Marno will never say the ancient heart is his, because to do so would be accepting the truth, and accepting the truth would mean poisoning Sagi's blood with what little remained of his taint, (most of it had been cleansed, thankfully) and he does not want that, no.

At the end of the day, the heart belongs to both Sagi and Marno. They are not the only ones that know this, but they are the only ones that understand it.

Milly and Guillo remain adamant that, although they may share a heart, Sagi's is stronger. They don't get that Sagi and Marno aren't two hearts beating in perfect synchronization; they are one and the same.

Sagi doesn't blame them, though. It's not something that can be explained in mere words. It has to be felt.

As it is, their ancient heart continues to beat strongly; spilling out shared emotions so that they are linked as one.

They wouldn't have had it any other way.


	2. Erased

_A/N: The Malpercio siblings need more attention._

* * *

An entire village gone, erased from existence with no rhyme or reason. That is the sight that greets the siblings when they arrive at Rasalas.

"We're too late." Pieda voices what they all know, cementing the truth in their minds. A melancholy silence consumes them, the 'what if's gnawing at their consciences.

"Let's look for any survivors." They know better than to hope, but they agree to Seph's suggestion anyway, because it's better than remaining stationary.

However, it is as they thought; there are no survivors. Ven tells them that one of the families had children, and they are all horrified. Did Wiseman's sick beliefs know no bounds?

They don't linger in Rasalas for long, for the evidence of Wiseman's cruelty laid bare in front of their eyes sickens them, even Seph. The people of Rasalas may not be dead, but they're still _gone_, and that is just as bad.

They're mostly silent on the way home; any conversations are brief. They're almost glad for the Sandfeeder's intervention, because it takes their minds off the fate of Rasalas.

Possibly the happiest of the siblings is Marno; dodging the beast's snapping jaws while getting in attacks of his own leaves no time for reflection. If he takes his mind off the battle for one second, he will die.

Being the youngest of the group, the fate of Rasalas is most scarring for him. He does not want to linger on it- the event makes his stomach churn, because he _knows _they will all end up like those people if Wiseman isn't stopped. It's a brutal truth, one he doesn't want to face, not yet.

His siblings are thinking along the same lines, complimenting him and asking him questions about his technique long after the battle is over. He answers them without hesitation, grateful for further distractions.

However, they all know, however much they want to deny it, they will have to face the truth eventually. If they didn't, their entire world would crumble.


	3. Wings

So, Kalas had betrayed them. Xelha had known this would happen, deep in her heart, but it didn't make the bitter truth any less painful.

It grated at her that she hadn't been able to sway him from that path, and she felt somehow responsible, even though it wasn't her fault.

The prophecy nagged at her as well. She still couldn't believe Kalas was the white-winged darkness. It was as though the entire world was against her. _Give up, he's gone, you can't save him, there's only one thing you can do now._

But her heart sang a completely different tune, one full of hope. _Xelha, keep going, you'll save him, everything will turn out all right, you'll see. _If there was one thing she had been taught, it was to always follow her heart.

So she did. Despite the crushing pressure she now felt, she persevered, with one thing on her mind- saving Kalas.

When the time came to face Melodia and Kalas, Xelha couldn't have described how she felt. It was a myriad mix of emotions, among them being nervousness, apprehension, and, of course, hope.

When she entered the room, Xelha's eyes were drawn to Kalas and his new wings. They had appeared to be taunting her, challenging her.

For a moment, her resolve had faltered. But in the next instant it had returned with a vengeance, because she couldn't have given up, not when the world was depending on her.

Not when _Kalas _was depending on her.


	4. Taint

One day, Marno finds himself musing about he and his siblings' so-called 'taint.'

He reflects on what the sorcerers- the first Children of the Earth- said to them at Atria, and wonders how much of it is true. Were they truly the ones in the wrong, or was it the people who had fought against them, blindly following Wiseman without a clue about his true intentions?

He also wondered if they were really cursed, or if the Dark Brethren had purged them of a pre-existing blight. Were they still human, would they have eventually succumbed to Wiseman's alluring power? By becoming gods, had they saved themselves from a fate worse than death?

He spares a thought for the modern legends, the ones told a thousand years later. They say Malpercio helped forge the world as it is today, but compared to Wiseman's ideal world, was it really that bad?

All of these thoughts made him debate the meaning of the word 'evil.' Were those said to be evil saviors in disguise, with the forces of good being the true masterminds? Was evil simply a label given to those which humans fear?

He wasn't sure anymore. In fact, he didn't know whether the divide of good and evil even existed. Such a detail seemed trivial when faced with reality.

But all that, he reminded himself, was a millennium ago. He may be uncertain of his past role, but his present role was clear.

He was Sagi's Guardian Spirit. His role was to protect Sagi.

* * *

_A/N: Because in Baten Kaitos, there really is no black and white- only grey._


	5. Truth

_A/N: Am I the only one getting a Kingdom Hearts vibe from this? Yes? Mmkay._

* * *

The true nature of the Malpercio siblings had long been buried. It had been masked by stories of horrific monsters that brought only death and destruction.

That wasn't true. Perhaps the darkness had smeared their name. It was most likely. Humans had a great fear of the dark, and tended to shun anything associated with it.

What they failed to realize was that the dark held as many gifts as it did curses. Those with pure, strong hearts could handle these dark gifts without losing themselves.

The Malpercio siblings had the strongest hearts of their era, possibly the strongest hearts in all of recorded history. The gifts of darkness were simple for them to handle.

Of course, the people of Cujam were afraid of the five siblings after the Dark Brethren touched them. They blindly sought help from the true god of destruction, Wiseman, regardless of the consequences.

The entire War of the Gods could have been avoided. Very little of the blame rested on the shoulders of the Malpercio siblings. Most of the fault belonged to the humans.

Fear is a powerful emotion, able to take control of our instincts in a heartbeat. However, humanity's greatest fear, the darkness, does not deserve its reputation. Why?

Because in a twisted sort of way, darkness is light, and light is darkness.


	6. Legacy

_A/N: Alright, I must confess... I actually really, really dislike Ven._

* * *

Sagi is the bearer of a legacy. It is a broken and tarnished legacy, but a legacy nonetheless.

The legacy of Malpercio is a bittersweet one. There are grains of truth to the legends told today, but for the most part, they are false.

There are five broken parts to the legacy of Malpercio, one for each Sibling God. Sagi possesses only one of these parts, the spirit of the Sibling God known as Marno. He is content with what he has.

But what of the other four parts to the legacy, Seph, Thoran, Pieda and Ven? Their story is more tragic.

Seph and Pieda were attached to Bein and Celsica respectively. Naturally, when the two were killed, their spirits died with them.

Ven's spirit and what happened to it is unknown. Thoran's spirit was given to Shanath, so he was never really reborn.

Four parts of a five-part legacy, forever lost to eternal time. However, so long as the fifth part remains intact, the legacy will live on.

Descendants of Sagi contain the blood of a dead god, although they do not know it. In a sense, they themselves are gods.

That is why the broken legacy of Malpercio will continue to shine.


End file.
